King and Companion
by Eris O'Reilly
Summary: AU Shounenai, StanAri. When Ari is chosen as the Evil King Stan's new companion, how will he cope? And how will Stan cope when he finds out that Ari isn't the shy, cooperative boy he thought he was?
1. Ch1: The Intruder

**Title: King and Companion  
**

** Author: K.M. Carthoway**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. I just abuse 'em.  
**

**Opening Author's Notes: **Ahh.. the first chapter of a long and promising series I'm working on. (I'm currently on chapter three as of now, so more posts are soon to follow.) This isn't my first fanfic, and by far not the first story I've written, but it is my first story that I've put up on I'm intensely in love with Okage, and couldn't wait to try my hands on a longer, drawn out epic of fanfic proportions. Having said that, I am looking for a beta, as my beta ran off claiming "too much school-work." So if anyone likes the story and wants to get the scoop ahead of time, feel free to email me, (the link is on my profile.)

Ahh.. and if you haven't figured it out by now, this is a _shounen-ai._ As in male/male relationships. If that's not your cup of tea, then don't read it.

Have fun!

* * *

**Chapter One: The Intruder**

Night fell on the forests east of Tenel and settled dreamily around the castle that loomed up betwixt the trees. The castle, too, descended into a dreamy, peaceful state—the servants attending to last minute chores before scuttling off to their beds, and the cooks mentally preparing the menus for the following day's meals. The Master of this place was already in bed, candles extinguished and fast asleep. Yes, the whole estate was ready to retire for the night, until there was a noise.

"What was that?" The Master asked groggily, cracking an eye open. He turned to his bedmate. "Go be a good slave and check on it for me." With that, he rolled over and closed his eyes.

The Master's bedmate sat up, swung his bare feet over the side of the bed and winced when he stood upon the cold floor. He was just about to reach for a candle when the noise happened again, near the window. Frightened yet curious, the Master's bedmate made his way to the large, curtained window and peered out of it.

The window pane shattered, and a sharp, unforgiving blade slashed the boy's chest, sending him to the floor in a pool of his own blood. He cried out, "Stan!" The Master immediately awoke and flew out of the bed. Standing over the wounded boy was a warrior dressed in bright armor wielding a sword and carried two more.

Master Stan, realizing his state of undress, grabbed his robe from the chair at the foot of his bed. Tying it securely around himself, he glared at the intruder. "And you are…?"

"Your reign of terror ends tonight!" The warrior shouted, foregoing Stan's question. "I, the hero Bartleby, will vanquish you and set the oppressed people of your wicked kingdom free!"

"Oh," Stan stated, and put his hands on his hips, "a hero." Seemingly unimpressed with the hero's sword or flashy armor, Stan made a move to sit back on the bed. The hero, however, thrust his sword right underneath Stan's chin.

"Don't move, monster," the hero threatened. "Your very existence makes my blood curdle, and I will stop at nothing to take you out of this world! I will free my people, the people around me, and all the people you have enslaved! I will have vengeance for my father, Harold's death, and his father, Percius's death, and his father's—all slain by your hand under your evil rule! I will provide hope for a better tomorrow by swiftly bringing our nation justice with your death!"

The hero stopped, panting after his rehearsed outburst. They stood facing each other, and after a long moment of awkward silence, Stan spoke, "Are you waiting for me to say something?" The hero growled a low "fiend!" but Stan continued as if he didn't hear him. "Well, now that you're done with your fancy speech that you probably, no doubt, took weeks to prepare, I suppose you're waiting for me to say something like, 'You'll never win,' or 'I won't go that easily,'" Stan met the hero's eyes with his own. "But that is so clichéd, don't you think? No…" Stan moved out from underneath the hero's blade. "I think we're passed that now. All I have left to say is… Die, bastard!" Stan threw up his hands and launched a fireball at the hero.

The hero rolled quickly away from the searing heat that nearly engulfed him. He lashed out with his sword, but Stan leapt nimbly onto the bed. Standing, the Hero drew out another sword.

"Two against none, now that isn't fair!" Stan whined, but the hero Bartleby didn't allow him to say much more. Stan back flipped to avoid the wild, vengeful doubled sword strokes. He tumbled off the bed, and just as the hero made ready to thrust his sword downward through Stan's skull, Stan kicked up, and bashed the hero's chin with his foot. The hero flew backwards away from Stan, giving the Master of the castle time to scramble onto his feet and regroup.

"You slimy coward!" The hero roared, rubbing his jaw.

"Now, now," Stan scolded, "No need to get nasty."

The hero Bartleby prepared to charge, swords pointed straight out at Stan, parallel to the floor. Just as Bartleby took his first, few running steps, Stan gathered the shadows around him and unleashed the full force of his unholy powers towards his foe, and hit the overwhelmed hero in the center of his chest, flinging the hero's body into the nearby wall like a cat might fling a captured mouse. The force of the impact caused the two swords to skitter to opposite sides of the room. The now-still hero's body slumped over in defeat.

Stan smirked at the fallen hero. He didn't even need to celebrate the death of that wimpy nuisance. He crossed the room to light a candle and survey the damage. A bloodstain caught his eye. Stan scanned the room until his eyes fell onto his fallen, deathly still bedmate. "Slave?" Stan questioned. When the boy did not so much as twitch in response, Stan ventured, "Sirus?" Still, there was nothing.

Stan went and knelt by his companion's body. He was laying face down, his blood pooling around him. "Sirus?" Stan said again, the sound not much more than a hoarse whisper. He turned the boy over. The gash cut deep into the boy's chest, and although the wound was fresh and open, it wasn't bleeding anymore. He was dead. Stan held the boy close. "Sirus," he breathed, "this shouldn't have happened to you; you weren't prepared for it."

A knock came at the bedroom door, and Stan's butler appeared. "Master! Are you alright? I heard noises—oh my." The butler exclaimed, seeing the damage to the room. The chair by the bed was overturned, no doubt knocked over by the hero in efforts to get to Stan; there was a scorch mark from the otherworldly fire that Stan hurled at the hero on a wall; and there was the dead hero on the wall adjacent to the bedroom door. Without needing an explanation, the butler said, "I'll get someone to clean this up right away." With that, the man left.

Stan sat for a long while, holding his dead companion. He turned just in time to see the not-dead hero stab his last sword through Stan's chest. Now, it was Stan's turn to slump in defeat.

.oOo.

Ari couldn't believe what he was hearing. When his father came home with another proclamation from their tyrannical Master, Evil King Stanley, he thought it was just another notice that they had to pay the Shadow King even more taxes. The taxes had been steadily increasing over the past three weeks, and were now soaring to ridiculous standards. Even Ari's family, who had been rather well off before, was forced to live in only a few rooms of their otherwise roomy mansion, to conserve heating and maintenance costs. But this proclamation that his father read aloud to the entire family, who were huddled around the kitchen table, was no tax hike.

"_Special Notice!  
To all peoples under the Evil King Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV's rule:_

'_Three nights ago, a foul and despicable being claiming to be a hero attacked me and one of my servants in my own bedroom. He slaughtered my servant on sight, and then proceeded to try to do the same to me. I defeated and disposed of him, but not without sustaining wounds of my own. These last few weeks of absence I have taken was time to recover, and during my recovery I have commenced a project that will prevent further similar instances from ever happening again. This project is funded by the tithes and taxes you pay to me, your ruler, and is thus the reason for the increase in them._

_Now I, Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV proclaim to all those under my domain a nation-wide ban of all Heroes! If one of my soldiers catches any individual practicing the now illegal art of Heroing, it is now punishable by death! Heroes will not be tolerated in my lands! I encourage all of you with promises of monetary rewards to report any suspicious "Hero-like" activity to a nearby soldier stationed in your area._

_Having said that, I am also searching for a replacement for the servant that died tragically in that aforementioned hero attack. Every youth from ages sixteen to nineteen are required to attend an all day audition held at my home on March 6, at exactly 10:30 in the morning. The home town of the youth I ultimately choose will receive half-tax relief for the life of the youth, and the youth's family will receive a gift of 10,000 gold in payment for my lifetime use of their child._

_Thank you for your cooperation, and remember: I can obliterate you all if I so wish._

_Your Eternal Master,  
Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV'"_

"Isn't that just lovely?" Ari's mother exclaimed after his father finished reading the notice aloud. "A ban on all heroes? Why hasn't anyone thought of this sooner? Pesky heroes, always getting in the way of things!" Ari's mother continued on to herself, while Ari's father turned to another issue.

"Half-tax relief for the entire town? Wouldn't that just be great if the Evil King chose someone from Tenel?" Ari's father said. Ari looked around the room, at his family. He had to admit, half-tax relief would be nice. It wasn't just his family that was hurting underneath the fiscal oppression—the entire town was shuddering, and Ari guessed the rest of the empire was, too.

Annie, Ari's sister, spoke next, "A new servant? That would certainly be more exciting—working for an Evil King, I mean—then staying here!" She sighed, "Too bad I'm not old enough."

"But Ari is," Grandfather said, followed by Grandmother's "Uh huh, uh huh, that's right honey;" her usual phrase she adds whenever Grandfather speaks.

"That's right!" Ari's dad exclaimed excitedly. "You've turned sixteen just earlier this year!"

Ari tired to say something in response, but his mother cut in. "Oh how wonderful! You can go to the try-outs!" She sighed happily, "You must be so excited!"

Ari stared at his mother in horror. Excited? How could he be excited? A servant's life wasn't anything to dream about! Also, normal servants, people who took care of the washing and cleaning and fetching for Evil King Stanley, were hired en masse with resumes and paid a lowly salary. What kind of servant did the Evil King need, whose labors required auditions? Besides, the auditions were mandatory for Ari anyway, so why was Mother acting like it was a choice?

Ari tried to explain all of this, but his sister spoke instead. "Ooh! What if Evil King Stanley chooses Ari!" His mother and sister squealed and giggled happily over the thought, and Ari gasped in shock. He turned to his father to try to plead with him instead.

"Well, Ari. It's you who has to go. What do you think about this?" His father asked. Ari opened his mouth to spill out all his true feelings to his family—his anxiety, his worry, his fear, his frustration that no one seemed to want to listen to him, and his anger that everyone, including his own mother, seemed to be seduced by the very Evil King that vowed to plunge their lives into a hellish world of despair.

However, before Ari could say a word, his father continued as if Ari did say something.

"Wonderful, son! I'm so glad to hear you're being so positive about things!"

Ari stood up and left the room, only his shadow by his side. His entire family was nuts.

They continued to celebrate, not even noticing that Ari was gone.

* * *

**Ending Author's Notes:** Not much to say here... Please review! --K.M.C.  



	2. Ch2: The Journey to the Choosing

**Title: King and Companion**

**By K.M. Carthoway**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.**

**Opening Author's Notes:** Finally! The second chapter. I'm going to try my hardest to get this story out to you on a decent schedule. I hate waiting for updates myself, (although I completely understand why it sometimes takes a month to post a new chapter, it still doesn't mean I have to like it) so my goal is to get a new chapter up about every week and a half. So, thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you continue to do so!

Ah, and by the way, I'm still looking for a beta, if anyone is interested. It'd be nice to have someone check over my grammar and make sure everything is coherent.

Onward with the story, then!

* * *

**Chapter Two: The Journey to the Choosing**

Ari woke up violently that beautiful Tuesday morning with a sick stomach and cold chills, despite the sweat dripping down his face. Today was the day. The dreaded, awful day where he would line up with the rest of the kids his age to be poked and prodded by the Evil King in attempt to find which one of them was "best." As if that wasn't bad enough, his parents were acting as if it was New Year's, Christmas, his birthday and Thanksgiving all rolled into one.

"Ari! Wakey wakey sleepy-head!" Ari's mother called out to the boy. Ari groaned in response, and made an attempt to sit up. When his stomach threatened to rebel, he decided he could lie back down for a few more minutes. Although his stomach was appeased, his mother however was not, and she marched over to Ari's corner of the living room. Hands firmly on her hips, she loomed over Ari where he lay on his cot and wished he was invisible.

"Get up, young man, or you're going to be late!" She pulled Ari's sheets down away from his chin where he had tucked them. She reached to as if she were going to yank him out of bed herself, but Ari got up and swung his feet to the floor. Satisfied that her son was up, she returned to the other side of the room, to pester Ari's father.

Ari, for his part, did get up and start on his morning routine. His stomach managed to calm down, and showered, dressed, with his hair combed and dried, he entered the kitchen where his mother was just serving breakfast.

"Glad to see you're finally up, sleepy-head," his mother teased lightly. She sat a plate of eggs and toast in front of her son, who just sat down at his place around the square dining table. His sister was already sitting and eating her toast, as were his grandparents. His father was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Dad?" Ari asked, bringing the toast up to his lips and biting into it.

As usual, his family ignored him. "Oh, you must be so excited! I'm surprised you hadn't gotten up earlier!" His mother exclaimed. Ari sighed. Although he really didn't believe he'd escape his mother's relentless enthusiasm, he was secretly hoping she might tone it down a little in light that her only son was leaving today. Unfortunately, Ari's small hope had no chance of being granted that morning.

His sister piped up, in between bites of her scrambled eggs. "He probably stayed up all night thinking about it, exhausting himself so he couldn't get up this morning!"

That much was true, Ari agreed silently, while ignoring his mother's and sister's subsequent prattling. Ari had stayed up late that night, unable to get to sleep. But it wasn't excitement that kept him awake; it was an emotion much darker…

Ari's father walked into the kitchen just as Ari's musings took a negative spin. "Well, I talked with the Mayor, and the group is heading out in just under the hour," he announced, taking his place at the table and immediately digging into the breakfast his wife set down before him. Shoveling eggs into his mouth, he turned to Ari. "Son, do you have all your things packed and ready to go?"

Ari nodded, although the answer was already known to the entire family for days now. His small, meager possessions sat in bags hear the front door, where they have been every since the women of the family were overcome in their excitement and decided to pack up Ari's things for him. Ari didn't think packing was necessary—he didn't believe, after all, that he would even be considered, never mind picked as the Evil King's personal companion. Try as he might, however, he couldn't convince his family of this.

"Well, Ari, after breakfast, do whatever last minute things you need to do, then meet us in the living room for your final goodbyes," his father stated. Ari tried not to sigh. True, he dreaded the fact he had to go at all, but "final goodbyes" seemed dreadfully unrealistic. His family was so utterly convinced of Ari being chosen that it was almost funny for the boy. Funny, in the sort of way that made him want to cry.

Ari finished his breakfast somberly, and then excused himself from the table. Although he truly didn't have that many (or any, for that matter) last-minute details to attend to, he used the excuse to get away from his family's giddiness over his leaving.

There were times that Ari really didn't like his family.

Back in his corner of the living room, Ari folded his sheets nicely on top of his cot; and, glancing around a bit, wadded up his sleep clothes together and shoved them into his pack with the rest of his clothes. Ari's justification was that either his mother or his sister would have asked him about it anyway, so he decided to save them the trouble by doing it himself.

As he stood up from repacking his bags, he turned and looked up at the staircase. In front of him was the staircase to the upper bedrooms, including his own, that he hadn't seen in months. The upstairs of their large house was the first thing to be placed off-limits when the heavy taxing began—it took so much heat to make that much space livable. His family set up cots and mattresses in the living room instead, where it was more space efficient and easier to maintain.

After a small internal struggle, Ari made up his mind. He walked to the staircase, and climbed them. It seemed like forever ago that he had being in his room, and he wanted to see it just one more time. He arrived at his door, and pushed it open with ease. His room was covered in dust and cobwebs from the continual disuse. It looked… foreign to Ari. But, there was his bed, and wardrobe and nightstand, just like he had left them.

Ari shut the door. He didn't want to see his room like that, a dust-covered shell of the place he used to live in. He turned and walked downstairs.

Downstairs, his family had gathered in wait for Ari. Pausing at the foot of the stairs for a moment, Ari shook himself out of whatever emotion that gripped him so suddenly, and walked in between the midst of everyone.

His father stepped forward. "Well son, this is it."

Ari's mother nodded, and stepped forward. Before her, she held an old, worn, wooden box, its varnish peeling and cracking, and looking quite run-down. She extended it to Ari, who took it without a word. She stepped back, and smiled at her son. "It's a music box," she explained. "Your father gave it to me as a confession of his love." She winked slyly, "Give it to the person you love, too, okay?"

While Ari stared at the music box, his father gathered up his bags and now forced them onto his son. "Here you go, Ari," he said, slinging a strap around the boy's shoulder, "You've gotta hurry, or you're going to be late."

He began to usher Ari to the front door. Stopping just shy of the door handle, his father turned Ari's attention to the rest of the family once more.

"Ready, everyone?" Ari's mother said, and began to count, "One, two, three…"

Everyone chimed in at once. "Good luck!"

"Knock 'em dead, sweetheart!" Ari's mother added.

And Ari was out the door.

.oOo.

Tenel wasn't so much a town or village as it was a small hamlet. They barely had ten buildings all together, and that count included Ari's huge mansion of a house. So the sign inviting newcomers, "Welcome to the city of Tenel," was about as much of the mark as saying the Evil King was really just a misunderstood benevolent ruler who loved goodness, justice and small, fluffy thing as much as anyone else. Either way, Ari got a kick out of both those statements, and he smirked wryly to himself as he passed the gates into the bare-bones community of Tenel.

Just inside the gates, the group was already forming. All two of them.

Ari walked up to the pretty blonde girl, standing in front of a small, horse-drawn wagon and staring off into space. He recognized her immediately, not by the usual white dress she wore, but by the vacant expression on her face. "Hello Julia," he greeted.

It took her a moment to respond. "Oh, hello Ari," she answered back. Ari just waited for her to continue. "Sorry," she mentioned, finally. "I didn't see you."

"That's alright," Ari replied. It was; Ari was quite used to being ignored—or at least over-looked—by Julia. It happened on a near daily basis, after all. Despite this, the two were still good friends.

In fact, she was Ari's only friend.

"So, are you excited about the Choosing?" She said with a hint of sarcasm. Ari smiled. He knew there had to be at least one ally against his family's usual insanity. He shrugged in response, and both teenagers turned at the approach of their mayor and the last member of their group.

"Well, it seems as if we're all here," the Mayor observed. He turned to Ari and the new boy. "Kyle, Ari, just put your things on the cart and we'll be off!"

He didn't appreciate his Mayor's apparent enthusiasm, but Ari did what he was told anyway. Both he and the new boy, Kyle, tossed their luggage on the cart haphazardly—although Kyle seemed to toss his with a bit more vengeance than was warranted for a piece of luggage.

"Goddamnit!" Ari heard the older boy mutter under his breath. It was too late for Ari to ask him what he meant by that, as now that their things were securely on the cart, they too were ushered onto the back. Julia and the Mayor climbed up onto the front seat next to the driver.

"Off we go then!" The Mayor proclaimed, and the driver urged the horses in motion. The group rode out of the Tenel, amidst the townspeople wishing them good luck and safe journey. Although he had to admit the thought of doing something rude did cross Ari's mind, he was shocked to discover Kyle was flashing a crude symbol at the town. When Kyle turned and saw Ari's disbelieving expression, he just shrugged, put his hand down and leaned back on top of the luggage. He seemed to have made the decision to sleep through their entire journey to the Evil King's castle.

Ari looked up to where the Mayor and Julia sat, deep in some discussion. Alone now, he was left to entertain himself with his own devices. He too flopped back against the luggage, and watched the sky.

Sky watching didn't last nearly as long as Ari thought it would, as the further their small group pulled away from town the more the surrounding trees swallowed up any sky. Deep into the forests now, the air was noticeable cooler and the trees cast strange shadows all around. Shivering a little from the lack of warmth, Ari turned to the front again. Julia was serenely reading a book, and the Mayor seemed to be enjoying staring off into nothingness.

Ari then turned to Kyle, who was watching the other boy intently. "Why are you so calm?" The elder asked when their eyes met.

Ari shrugged in answer. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Although he was truly bitter about the situation, he knew he really couldn't do anything about it. No one could; what the Evil King wanted, the Evil King got.

Kyle huffed, and folded his arms behind his head. "Wish to God we did. I'm nineteen. In three more months, I'll be twenty. So close, so damn close."

"It's not like you have to stay." Ari mentioned quietly. Kyle glanced over at the red head, and Ari continued. "I mean, who's to say you'll be picked? Everyone in the entire kingdom of the right age has to attend, and the Evil King is only going to choose one of us—"

"But of the honor of Tenel, not to mention the tax relief, one of us has to be the one picked." Kyle grunted. "And if it's not me, and sure as hell not Julia, than…" he smirked maliciously at the other boy, "That leaves you, I guess."

Ari hummed to himself, before he jolted back into his senses. "Wait, why not Julia?"

Kyle laughed, but it didn't sound friendly at all. "Haven't you heard?" Ari waited for a moment while Kyle finished gloating. "Evil King Stanley likes _boys_."

"What?" Ari questioned in disbelief.

"It's true," Kyle answered, "he only chooses _male_ companions. He just asks for girls to attend his obscene contests to put up the illusion that they actually have a chance. But I guarantee he picks a boy as his chosen."

Ari sat back against his luggage, his hand immediately covering his mouth in his shock and worriment. He was surviving this journey only on the assumption that his chances for actually having to work for that demon were slim. Now those chances were getting larger and larger.

"What a sick bastard!" Kyle exclaimed. "I pity the poor guy who gets stuck with him. How do you even live with yourself after he violates you like that?"

He continued to talk, but Ari's lost attention easily tuned him out. Kyle had brought up a horrific point that Ari had been trying desperately not to think about for the last several weeks.

The role of the "special companion."

How would he be treated, if he was chosen? Would the Evil King respect his reluctance for anything physical at all, or would he just use him for what he wanted and leave Ari there like the broken catamite he would undoubtedly become?

Ari's mind was lost in a sea of despair and intense, chilling fear for the rest of their journey to the castle. It was only when a rather bright ray of light shining on his face and the sounds of distant voices floated to his ears that he pulled himself out of his macabre reverie.

"Ah. It looks like we've arrived," The mayor said, the first words he'd spoken to the small group since the beginning of the journey. Ari couldn't help but to look around at the scenery as the driver pulled them in line with several other wagons waiting to tie their horses. Bordered by the forests, a sea of sparkling green lawn spread across the entire landscape. Other travelers had apparently set up makeshift tents of all sizes and colors, forming a sort of campgrounds for the upcoming contests and ceremony. Several people were still milling about the grounds, but it seemed that most had already gathered together in a large mass in front of the exquisitely large and thoroughly expensive looking palace.

The wagon had stopped moving, and Kyle pulled him down from his precarious perch on top of his luggage. It was Julia that spoke, though. "Shall we go? It looks like something's about to start." She held her arms around her middle, and looked as nervous as Ari felt.

Ari followed the two to the gathering that assembled in front of the palace. Surprisingly, they managed to find a decent vantage point off to the side of the crowd of youngsters, and they all settled in for a harrowing experience.

Directly before the Evil King's palace, demonic servants erected a short platform covered in jewels and opulence. Four servants carried out a throne, and placed it on top of the dais, and proceeded to drape the massive thing with crushed, purple velvet. Fanfare soon sounded, leaving the servants scrambling to a respectable distance, and the huge double doors to the palace swung open.

And there he was.

Evil King Stanley appeared within that huge and overly ornate doorframe, in all his purple majesty, and grinned wildly.

Suddenly, Ari couldn't breathe.

* * *

**Ending Author's Notes:** Oh no! What's going to happen now? Can anyone guess? 

Oh, and I'd like to thank the three people that reviewed my last chapter. Your comments were really nice! Thank you so much for your kind words **SirenSutan**, and **Soshite**, yes: Ari's family sucks. Ahh, and for the last person who reviewed, I never really thought about it as a historical romance, but it brings up an interesting direction that I may have to play with. So, thank you all once again!

Please leave a review! --K.M.C.


	3. Ch3: Evil King Stan's Garden

**Title: King and Companion**

**Author: K. M. Carthoway**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill by now. I don't own them, but I wish I did.**

**Opening Author's Notes:** I am very sorry for the lateness of this chapter! It's very long, and gave me a bit of trouble, but I hope it is worth the wait! I also want to thank everyone who offered to beta for me. I sent the chapter out to everyone that offered by email, and **Kyuubi no Kitsune** was the first to get back to me! So, I went with her suggestions, and I really hope you like the finished product. Chapter Four should appear a bit more quickly, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Evil King Stan's Garden**

Evil King Stanley emerged from the palace in all his purple majesty. He strutted—_strutted_, Ari decided, not walked—across the red carpet that his servants unrolled for him, and promptly climbed up onto the dais. He threw his hands wide, showing off his exposed neck and collarbone, and spoke.

"Ladies and gentleman... I am Evil King Stan!" He waited, grinning and looking at his assembled audience of frightened and nervous teens. A polite smattering of applause slowly built to audible levels, which the king seemed to feast on as if it were roaring admiration.

"I know your journeys have been long, but I'm so happy to see all of you gathered here to battle your strengths and wits, all for the sake of moi! Let the games begin!" With that, he sat down on his velvet draped throne, crossed his legs and looked thoroughly expectant of an entertaining show. He snapped his fingers, and the burly servants who stood in attendance by his side reached down and hoisted the throne, Stan and all, onto their shoulders and walked back into the castle.

Ari, during all of this, had his hand firmly in front of his mouth and tried not to laugh too loudly at the incredible sight before him. This wasn't what he expected at all from the Evil King Stan! He imagined the demon king to be dark and fearsome, not a purple-clad, blonde, bubbly egotist!

"Ari, what's wrong?" Julia muttered beside him. Ari shook his head, trying to explain that is was nothing, and that he wasn't laughing at the sheer absurdity of the Evil King's visage. Julia looked like she was going to speak again, when the mass of teens began to move. Fear of being left behind trumped whatever Julia was going to say to the laughing boy. They followed everyone away from the dais where the Evil King previously sat, and towards a long row of tables. Ari could have sworn he hadn't seen the tables there before, but supposed that the servants who left in the middle of Evil King Stan's speech were the ones responsible for their sudden appearance. Anyway, everyone seemed to be assembling into rows of some sort, so both Ari and Julia chose a line to wait patiently in.

Despite the incredible mass of people attending the Evil King's contest, the lines moved rather swiftly. Ari had only been in line for a handful of minutes at most when suddenly he reached the end. A foul looking woman sat on the other side of the table, and grunted at Ari whenever he arrived.

"Name?" She inquired, pen hovering over a form of some sort. Ari gave his name. "Gender?" She questioned next. Ari blinked—true, she hadn't looked up at him once since he appeared, but he didn't think his voice or name sounded too girly. Despite these misgivings, he answered her.

She questioned him next of his hometown, and he told her, "Tenel." Apparently satisfied with Ari's answers, she thrust a slip of paper at him. Ari accepted it, befuddled.

"Find your group," she barked when Ari didn't move. For good measure, she added, "Next!"

Ari shuffled off to the side, waiting for Julia to receive her paper. Sometime passed, and when he didn't see her again, he assumed that she forgot he was there. Ari folded into himself; no one ever seemed to remember his existence. He clenched his fists, the slip of paper crinkling in his hand. Startled at his own behavior, he unclenched his hands and smoothed out the paper enough he could read it.

"38 C," the paper displayed in clear, type-written font.

Ari shrugged, and decided he might as well try to find his group. The task proved not to be difficult, as servants carrying large picket signs displaying the group numbers walked around the milling, confused teenagers. Ari quickly spotted his number, and joined the team of kids following the servant like lost puppies.

"38 C?" A strange looking girl asked as he approached Ari nodded, waving his slip of paper like an invitation. The girl giggled happily, bouncing a little, while the other kids around her just ignored the both of them. The girl looked shocking, to say the least. Nestled in her strawberry blonde hair were two slender, green horns, protruding from her temples.

Ari startled in shock. "A-Are those... are those...?" He choked. His shyness attacked him fiercely, and now he couldn't even form the words.

"Oh, these?" The girl giggled again, knowing full well what Ari was asking, yet not-put out by the forward question. She laughed some more, and replied, "I'm Linda. What's your name?"

Ari didn't miss the change of subject, but he allowed it anyway. "Ari," he answered, and tried not to stare. It took him a surprisingly small amount of time to begin to get used to the girl's horns.

Linda giggled happily, a sound that Ari was quickly beginning to associate with her, and she began to talk.

And talk.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so excited! Are you excited! I can't wait! I heard if we get to a high enough round in the contests, we'll even have dinner with King Stan! Isn't that great? Do you think there's a talent contest? I hope so! What will you do as your talent? I know what I'll do! I'm going to sing! I'm a teen idol, you know--or at least I want to be! Oh, I can't wait to meet King Stan—"

Ari listened politely, or at least pretended to. He seriously doubted if he comprehended anything after the first ten words. But Linda seemed like a nice enough girl, and he enjoyed being in someone's company for once, even if said company was trying their best to talk his ear off. The other kids with them, however, looked as if they were getting very annoyed with Linda's constant chatter. Ari worried that they might do something to her if she didn't shut up soon. They continued to follow the servant with the sign.

"Hey, Mr. Man!" Linda called out, breaking her rambling monologue to address the servant they followed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Where are we going?" She asked.

The servant pointed with the sign. "There," he answered. Everyone looked. They had walked around the edge of Evil King Stan's palace, and came face to face with a large, solid wall of foliage. Ari gasped and craned his neck back. In front of him were the tallest hedges the boy had ever seen in his entire life. The bushes were so thick, that he couldn't see through them all. Evenly dispersed along the entire wall, were carefully pruned doorways, admitting entrance into a dimly lit garden.

"We're going in there?" Linda asked, her voice quiet with apprehension. Ari didn't blame the girl for being nervous; there was an air of foreboding inside that dark, shadowy garden.

Above their heads, a voice rang out. Everyone looked, and there Evil King Stanley was, sitting elegantly in the throne that the servants no doubt carried up countless stairs to a balcony overlooking the yard. "Now that you're all here, your goal is to lead your team through my garden and reach the other side. You have an hour, ta ta!"

Ari felt something being locked around his waist, and looking down, he saw a servant finish looping a belt around his middle to chain him to the rest of his group mates. Then he noticed that Linda was chained behind him.

"Won't this be fun! It's like a race, isn't it? Oh my god, I'm so excited!" Linda continued to chatter mindlessly behind him, and Ari heaved a great big sigh. At least the person in the front of their human chain began to move then, forcing everyone else to follow, and giving Ari something to keep his mind on.

Together, they entered the tunnel leading into Evil King Stan's garden. Inside the garden proper was a large moss-covered fountain surrounded by tile and ferns. There weren't any flowers to speak of, not like normal gardens; everything here was dark green, silver or blue. Several large trees blocked out most to the sky, casting darkness all around them, making Ari feel like he was being swallowed up by the plants.

Besides them, several more teams emerged, chained together just like Ari's. Group 38 C's leader pulled the rest of them deeper into the garden. "Which way do we go?" Linda asked.

Another answered, "Doesn't really matter, right?" They headed for the opposite wall of hedges. Crossing the expansive garden to the other side, they found several small, waist-high carved entrances into an equally gigantic wall of bushes leading through to the other side. Their leader dropped to all fours. "Looks like we have to crawl."

They all dropped to the ground, with Linda grumbling about her dress as she did so. "I hope I don't get grass stains. Do you think King Stan will reimburse me for the cleaning if I do?"

"Probably not, so shut up and crawl," someone ahead of them snapped.

"Geez, sorry for asking," Linda muttered softly behind Ari.

Crawling forward, they plunged into the greenery. The passageway was small, but carefully pruned and easy to navigate. Ari barely had to duck his head to keep the twigs and leaves from getting caught in his messy, wild hair. The others seemed to be fairing rather decently as well, and soon they reappeared on the other side.

Standing up after crawling on their knees for so long, everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Woo! Glad that's over with! What do we do now?" Linda was the first to ask.

This time, it was Ari who spoke, "Climb?" Ahead of them lay a gigantic monstrosity of ropes and platforms and ladders and metal bars and netting, all thrown together like a child's jungle gym gone horribly wrong. The leader of group 38 C shrugged and trudged the entire group forward to one of the rope ladders, and began to climb.

.oOo.

Stan grinned to himself as he watched the teenagers enter his garden. From his viewpoint on the balcony, he could oversee the entire area at once, easily assessing how well his spunky contestants fared. From the looks of things now, leaning back in his cushioned throne, his contestants weren't faring as well as he hoped. What part of under an hour did they not understand? He was displeased to see many of the groups still wandering about, admiring his many exotic plants and sculptures in the first room of his massive garden. Did they not have any inkling of the mind-boggling obstacles ahead he painstaking paid a crew of one hundred to set up?

Although most of the groups weren't performing on his expected standard of excellence, a handful of groups managed to catch his eye. They already were advanced well into the second room, and passed through some of his more challenging obstacles he left for them. Stan smiled, excited now at how his little gala turned out. The general mass of people that turned up were incompetent and ugly, but Stan had to admit he really did have some lookers this season, like small, black-haired boy who climbed cat-like up some netting that would eventually lead him and his group to a perilous zip line, or the lanky blonde who easily commanded his group up and over the rock wall. Then there was the one that made Stan's eyebrow quirk in curiosity. The red-headed boy, who seemed just as at home in the shadows as the demon King was; the one who followed his leader without a word, although trapped in front of a very talkative demon. The Evil King especially wondered how well that boy would do in upcoming activities.

Stan's smile faded into a smirk. Picking out seven favorites from the group of scattered teenagers, and he effortlessly weaved his hands through a complex array of charms, and cast the spell into his favored boys' eyesight. Providing his pick with the tools they needed to escape his garden, Stan sat back once more to enjoy the rest of the show.

.oOo.

To his credit, Ari fared relatively well on the gigantic jungle gym. Although he wasn't athletic by any means, Ari was no slouch either, and worked his way easily around the obstacles before him. In fact, he even found the strength to help his other members across, even when his own leader panted in exhaustion.

Linda fared well, too. She easily bounced her way across the balance beams, monkey bars, teeter-totters and tunnels that stood in their group's way. True, her limitless energy was a real life-saver, but her constant stream of chatter and—a new trick—her random bouts of off-key song stretched her teammates' patience wire thin.

"Can you shut up for just two minutes? That's all I ask of you!" The boy ahead of Ari ground out between clenched teeth.

Linda huffed behind Ari. "Well, if you don't like my singing then you don't have to listen to it! I'm going to be a teen idol, after all, and I need my practice!"

"Good luck with that sister," the girl behind the leader snapped back, "considering you're completely tone-deaf. I'm not seeing that happening anytime soon."

Linda sniffed loudly, but didn't say another word. Ari looked behind him, and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling sorry for her, he reached behind and patted the heart-broken girl on the puffy, pink sleeve of her shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "Your singing isn't _that_ bad." He hummed thoughtfully for a moment, and added, "You just need a vocal coach, or a tutor or something."

"You… you think?" Linda hiccupped. Ari nodded, smiling. Linda brightened up considerably, and wiped away the rest of her tears.

It was right near then that they came to the end of their journey. "Let me guess," their leader commented in front of all of them, "that giant door is the exit."

Far on the other side of the playground was a huge wooden wall, maybe five or six men high. And in the center of that wall, with a ladder leaned up against it, was an equally large wooden door.

In between the exit and the platform they stood on, was a cavernous pit filled entirely of brightly colored plastic balls.

"I-It's a ball pit," someone commented besides Ari's group. Several more teams of teenagers roped together joined them. More and more groups fought their way onto the platform after them, and space quickly became a limited commodity. Ari's leader managed to get everyone lined up on the edge overlooking the pit.

"We're going to have to jump," he said. Ari gulped and looked down. There was a lot of empty air between him and the ball pit. "Okay everyone? On three..." The leader counted off, and everyone jumped over the edge. They landed with a large crunch in the ball pit, and flailed around for a bit until they found their footing. The leader checked to make sure everyone was alright before moving towards the ladder that led to the exit. More groups jumped in behind them.

Reaching the ladder first, Ari's team climbed up and tried the door.

Nothing happened.

"It's locked!" Their leader cried out in frustration, banging his fists against the unforgiving wood.

"Don't tell me the key's in this ball pit!" Someone from another group groaned. Group 38 C climbed down and hopped back into the pit.

"Well, since we really can't fan out like this," the leader said, lifting up the rope that bound him to all the others, "I guess we'll just have to pick a corner and search."

"I suppose this is what the King meant by 'under an hour,'" the boy behind Linda commented. Ari sighed mentally, and rolled his eyes. Somehow he knew that the Evil King would pull something like this.

Suddenly, Ari felt very strange. He felt almost sick, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what was wrong. His head felt light, yet he could see with perfect clarity. A soft glow emanated from just to the side of his team.

"Everyone, go over there!" Ari pointed, his eyes finally landing on the exact location of the glow.

"What? Why?" Linda asked behind him, but Ari was already pulling his team towards the spot.

"Just trust me," was all he said in reply. To his luck, his group decided to follow the normally quiet boy's orders, and they all quickly trudged through the multi-colored plastic balls to where Ari led them.

The glow emanated from some object hidden below the surface of the plastic balls. Ari began to dig, pushing and heaping balls off to one side. "What are you looking for? What are you doing, Ari?" Linda asked, her voice frantic with confusion.

Ari, not pausing from his work, answered with confusion of his own. "Can't you see it?"

"See what?"

Reaching down, Ari finally found what he didn't know he was looking for. He pulled out a small, silver key that glowed brightly in his hand.

Linda gasped loudly. "Ari! How did you..?"

"Hey, mind handing that over?" A masculine voice demanded coldly. Ari looked up. A slim boy with messy hair not unlike his own stood in front of him, hand outstretched in expectation.

Ari looked down at the key in his hand. "Why?"

"Because I saw the glow first," the boy answered, as if that explained everything.

Ari shrugged, and against his teammate's objections, he placed the key into the other boy's hand. "It doesn't matter," he stated, "Just as long as everyone gets out."

The other boy stared at Ari; then, key in hand, he and his team headed for the exit. Calling out over the entire play pit that they found they key, their team climbed the ladder and unlocked the door. After fighting their way through a mad rush to escape, Ari's team finally ascended the ladder to freedom.

Outside the door, servants helped them out of the belts and ropes that bound them to one another. As soon as they were free from each other, Linda and the others turned on Ari, and began demanding an explanation for what had happened back in the ball pit. Ari held up his hands in submissiveness, unable to really explain the strange occurrence or his near other-worldly knowledge of the location of the key. Fortunately for the overwhelmed boy, the sound of clapping saved him.

Evil King Stan stood in front of everyone. "Bravo! Bravo! That was so entertaining! Great show!" He placed his hands on his hips. "Now, my excellent staff of doctors will check your medical history, and then we'll have lunch! Okay?" Grinning like a fool, Stan clapped again and melted into the ground.

A hush fell over the teens. The demon king just disappeared, right into the earth! Ari caught a faint movement of darkness on the grassy lawn and traced it as it swirled over the ground and up the side of the palace into an open window. It seemed only a few caught the movement, as only a handful of eyes turned in time with Ari's.

The servants, however, acted as if such an occurrence happened everyday, and ushered the teenagers across the grounds to a long row of white tents stationed near the forest line. Ari found it hard to tear his eyes away from the window the shadow disappeared into. He thought he saw a flash of King Stan's yellow eyes looking back at him, but he was already moving too far away to be sure.

Ari dropped into silence once more.

* * *

**Ending Author's Notes:** Poor Ari! He's always so abused, isn't he? Anyway, here's my obligatory "Please Read and Review" statement. I got so many reviews last time and I hope to get just as many this time! Thank you, everyone, for reading my story! 

Oh, and I promise that the next chapter will have more yaoi-esque elements in it. Flirting, sexual innuendo and the like. I hope you stick around, and please leave a review! --K.M.C.


	4. Ch4: Lunchtime

**Title: King and Companion**

**Author: K. M. Carthoway**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, the rating wouldn't be "Teen."**

**Opening Author's Notes:** I'm so sorry for the extreme lateness of this chapter. As many (if not all) of you already know, Kingdom Hearts II came out. I bought it. And it has taken my soul. (Not that I miss it, mind you.)

So despite playing KH2 for hours on end (I've nearly beaten it, too! ) Chapter Four is done. Thank you, **Kyuu,** for beta-ing it for me in such a timely manner, and thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter Three!

As promised, this chapter contains pre-slash, and a healthy dosage of flirting. If you've gotten this far without realizing where I'm headed, then hear is your final warning:

This story is a **Shounen-Ai**, or **Yaoi**. It contains **male/male**, **homosexual**, **gay**, **slash**, whatever-else-you-call-it relationships. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it.

Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!

**

* * *

Chapter 4: Lunch-time**

The health checks went badly. Ari all but fled from the white medical tents when they released him, a mixture of humiliation and disgust churning in his gut. "They didn't have to ask _those_ questions, did they?" He thought angrily to himself. He escaped to the large pavilion area, where the other teenagers—newly released from their own health checks—began to gather. The smell of charcoal, smoke and grilled hamburgers assaulted his nostrils when he neared them.

"Ari!" Linda's voice rang out. Ari saw the bubbly pink girl bounce over to him. "Evil King Stan is having a barbeque!" King Stan was indeed having a barbeque. Linda led Ari to the tables packed with every kind of cook-out food imaginable, from potato salad and coleslaw to grilled hamburgers, chicken and hotdogs. They lined up behind the hungry teenagers, grabbing a plate as they did so.

"It's purple ceramic," Ari noticed when he picked up his dish.

"Isn't it so awesome? King Stan is willing to go to any expense for us!" Linda exclaimed, clutching her plate and giggling. Ari thought that Evil King Stan must be just showing off, but he kept such comments to himself.

They waited in line, moving forward only when the spot ahead of them cleared, Linda talking rapidly and Ari not bothering to keep up. They grabbed food as they went, and Ari had to admit—if only to himself—that he was impressed. As Linda debated which of the seven potato salads she should get, Ari craned his neck to see what was offered down the line. His mouth watered at the sight. Beckoning Ari's name was a giant bowl of freshly washed, wine-red cherries.

Ari had a weak point when it came to cherries.

Finally, the line moved again, and Ari managed to cram half his plate full of the desired fruit. He popped one in his mouth, immediately savoring in the taste. The line seemed to move much faster, now that Ari had a plateful of cherries to keep him occupied. Even Linda's chattering wasn't as irritating.

Successfully moving through the entire line, and taking the glass of lemonade that the servants offered them, Ari and Linda set out in search of a place to sit. Linda, to no one's surprise, found one first.

"Oh! Let's go sit over there!" She led Ari away, weaving in and out of the throngs of people with all the energy she possessed in the garden. Ari just barely managed to follow her without getting lost. They arrived at a fairly empty table, the only occupant being the blond boy Ari met in the ball pit. Linda immediately sat down next to him and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Linda!"

"I'm Luka," he replied. He eyed Ari, who decided to sit across from him, rather than beside Linda. Luka questioned Ari of his name, as well. Ari responded quietly.

"Ari, eh?" Luka commented, but Linda interrupted.

"Like, oh my god, did those doctors ask you guys really weird questions, too?" She asked with her usual quickness, but fidgeting in her seat. Ari stared at her, eyes wide and face flushing red. Luka answered.

"Yeah. Why the hell would King Stan want to know my complete sexual history?"

Ari sunk lower in his seat as Linda responded indignantly, "How dare they insinuate I'm not the virgin I very obviously am?"

"And who cares how many times a week I masturbate, anyway?" Luka exclaimed. Ari sank lower and lower, his face on fire with embarrassment. At least now he knew he wasn't the only one asked those strange, humiliating questions.

Linda watched her friend die of embarrassment. "Ari? Are you okay?"

Ari nodded weakly. He grabbed a cherry and popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. He managed to pull himself upright in his seat as he watched his new-found friends eat their lunches and continue their conversation. Luka, with his shock of blond hair falling messily over his eyes—muck like Ari's—was very dominant and aggressive in his behavior. Ari sighed sadly to himself, accepting the fact that the other boy will be much more masculine than he'd ever be.

Ari ate this food and listened to his friend conversation, trying to keep his mind blissfully blank. The conversation seemed to be going well, until Linda stopped in mid-sentence suddenly, mouth working like fish but not sound coming out. Luka too, froze, wide eyes staring ahead, hotdog still half-way to his mouth. Ari was just about to ask what was wrong, when a voice sounded about his head.

"Hey kids!"

Ari looked up, then promptly squeaked, paled, and tried to hide himself underneath the table. Above him, Evil King Stan watched his contestant's antics with a smirk on his tanned face. Everything seemed to happen at once. Ari shifted lower in his seat, his chin barely above the lip of the picnic table; Linda squealed in girlish delight; Luka quickly put down his food and began primping his hair; and Evil King Stanley sat down next to Ari with a flourish.

"How do you like my picnic?" You've never seen anything like it, have you?" King Stan bragged shamelessly, and smiled a charming grin at the teenagers. Ari felt his face growing warm, and a strange heaviness settled in his stomach. He had never seen the King from so close before, and the image was startling. Evil King Stan had a very tan face, blonde hair swept back meticulously into little spikes, and yellow eyes. He also had one of the nicest smiles that Ari had even seen, and the boy had quite a time trying to pull his eyes away from the full lips stretched across the man's perfect fangs.

"Crap," Ari thought when he managed to pull himself together. This feeling wasn't entirely unfamiliar to the boy, having experienced it once before at a circus, when a young, handsome acrobat performed tricks right in front of his seat. He knew he had been infatuated then, just as felt the stirrings in his gut now. Why, oh why did Evil King Stan have to be so handsome?

Luckily for Ari, King Stan initiated his own doom. Still smiling, he plucked a cherry off Ari's plate and placed it delicately on his tongue. Ari watched the movement like a hawk. King Stan chatted with Linda and Luka, and grabbed another cherry off Ari's plate. The red headed boy didn't even hear what the demonic king said to him, so incensed was he over the king's gall to steal one of his cherries.

Evil King Stan quirked an eyebrow, the stem hanging out of his mouth, and stared back at the furious boy. "What?" he asked mildly.

Ari, eyes still locked with the King's, grabbed his own cherry and ate it, yanking the stem off viciously and spitting the pit out with a small 'poot'.

Stan grinned.

The king turned to Luka, asking some mundane question about the state of affairs in the boy's hometown. He slid his hand casually to Ari's plate, brushing over the boy's own hand seductively for a moment before plucking another fruit off the dish. Luka answered with excess verbatim, while Ari neatly pulled the cherry out of King Stan's hand and placed it back on his plate with the others.

Now it was Luka, who eyed the two warily as they played a strange game of cat and mouse with each other. Stan reached for more of the red, delicious fruit and Ari beat him back. Luka retaliated with a blow of his own. "So, your majesty," he began, picking up his hotdog. "Have you any ideas on who your next chosen will be? Or is it still too soon to… tell?" He finished by taking a rather larger than necessary bite out of his food.

Ari flushed bright red at the sight before him. Luka ate that hotdog way too indecently for the shyer boy's tastes. Stan, however, gave up his little battle with the red-head beside him to give his full attention to the lanky blond licking the ketchup off his fingers. "Oh, there is still much of the contest yet," he purred, eyes riveted on the other boy's long fingers. He licked his lips with long, slow swipes. "But… I have a few ideas."

Luka smirked, his eyes holding a glow of victory. Ari watched the other boy with shock. He seemed to be proud of the scandalous acts he employed to lure the king's attention onto himself. Ari looked at his plate of cherries, half gone with only a bloody pile of pits and stems as a reminder of their existence. He had been acting sleazy as well, fighting like a child with Evil King Stan over some worthless fruit. In the end, it was the King's food, and Ari realized he had no right to fight over something that didn't even belong to him. He pouted, and placed another cherry into his mouth.

King Stan turned back to Ari, his face quizzical when he saw the image the boy projected. Ari kept his hands folded in his lap, his plate wide open for Stan's perusal. He did not meet the King's gaze. A shy, meek boy occupied the spot where a defiant, strong-willed and wholly refreshing teenager sat just moments before.

It seemed, to the King, that this game just became a whole lot more interesting.

Stan went for another cherry. Seeing no resistance, he purposefully brushed and rubbed sensually against the boy's leg with his own, making an elaborate show of reaching around the boy to the already easily accessible plate. Ari gasped, and hunkered down underneath the larger man as he took his time selecting his next piece of fruit. Stan, finally choosing one, straightened up away from the boy shaking from with some unknown emotion, who stared at him with something unreadable in his eyes.

Smirking, King Stan stood up. "I really must be off now," he said, nodding to the two boys and Linda, sitting forgotten throughout the entire episode. "Ta ta!" He finished, and put the cherry in his mouth. Ari followed Stan's retreating, swaggering figure with his eyes until the demon was lost in the throngs of people. He turned back to the table, only to be assaulted by Linda.

"What was that?" She referenced to both of them. "You two were like, all flirty with Evil King Stan!"

Ari sputtered. Flirty? Luka regained composure first.

"Well, of course. How else do you think we'll be able to get him to pick us?"

Ari choked, more out of the realization of his own actions than the knowledge that Luka actually _wanted _to be apart of this sick game. He really had flirted with the demon King, hadn't he? Ari flushed in humiliation, and turned to his lunch. He managed to avoid and side-step any question or accusation of his own behavior while he finished his meal.

It wasn't too much longer until the servants rang bells signaling lunch was over. Evil King Stan stood at the head of the picnic area, waving for silence. The roar dulled to a muted whisper, and he spoke.

"Alright, I hope you enjoyed my lunch! Signs are being posted around the area as we speak. Find your hometown, and if you've made the list: congratulations! If not, please leave the premises immediately or I'll have my guards throw you out." Stan grinned, and clapped his hands, "Chop chop!"

Ari and the others left their dishes for the servants who were now gathering them up in large carts. Together they joined in the mad rush to the flyers attached to the posts on the pavilion. Ari saw Julia and Kyle walk away from a post on the other side of the pavilion, but by the time he got there, he had lost sight of them. Instead, he turned to the sign. He found his town name, nestled between Strausville and Triste.

He was the only name listed.

Just as he sighed in defeat, Linda, three posts over, screamed in despair. "I'm not on the list! Why? Why, cruel world, why? I would have made the best lovely, pretty pink wife next to my Stan!" Ari debated briefly about going to console the distraught girl, but the guards, alerted by Linda's cries, quickly carried her off, relieving Ari of the duty to calm her. As people, both dejected and exuberant, filtered out of the pavilion, Luka found Ari and clapped the smaller boy on the shoulder.

"So Ari, you made it?" He asked jovially, causing Ari to fold inward on himself, hand covering his mouth in his distress.

Since he wasn't getting an answer out of Ari, Luka leaned forward and studied the list before them. "Oh, there you are! You're from Tenel, huh?" Luka playfully shoved Ari. "What are you looking so pitiful for? You made the list, didn't you? Cheer up! You made it to the next rounds!"

Ari bemoaned his sorrows. Yes, he was onto the next round, and after his little charade at the lunch table, he was sure he'd go onto the next after that as well. Why didn't he think before he reacted? All Ari wanted to do was to go home with Julia and Kyle and be done with this mess. Ari lost himself in his thoughts while he weakly pretended to join in with Luka's celebrations.

Wait, if Luka was celebrating, that meant he was on the list too, Ari realized. The boy brightened up considerably. Judging, too, how Luka acted at the lunch table, the blond had a much larger chance of moving forward than Ari.

King Stan gathered everyone's attention again, before the boy's celebration continued on much longer. "Alright, now that those cut have left, we're going to have a little written test! Grab a packet from a servant and get started!"

Ari groaned at the thought of a test, but allowed himself to be dragged off by Luka anyway. The taller boy grabbed a packet and pencil for both of them, and seeing no where else to write, they sat down at the same table they ate lunch at.

"Good luck!" Luka said before opening his booklet and diving right in. Ari rolled his eyes. He opened his packet, simply labeled "TEST," and started filling out his required information. After finishing with that, Ari turned to the first question.

"_Question 1: Judging by appearance alone, what is the best word to describe Evil King Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV?_

_A) Rugged._

_B) Immaculate._

_C) Sexy._

_D) Fine."_

Ari stared. This was a question? There was no right answer! He glanced over at Luka, and saw that the blond was well into the test, circling answers rapidly. Ari's own test glared at him, not one question answered.

He shrugged, and circled one. It didn't seem to matter much, anyway.

The rest of the test contained questions more bizarre than the first, such as "What's your favorite joke?" or "What's your favorite color?" Some questions were easier than others, and some were so difficult Ari was tempted to skip them entirely. Why would he know (or care) what the most efficient strategy for a hostile takeover of a neighboring kingdom was? Despite these set backs, Ari answered all the questions to the best of his ability. School had drilled the idea of doing his best into this head so thoroughly that it didn't occur to Ari to pick any obliviously wrong answers. (Please choose one: A corrupt judicial system, or a stable and consistent totalitarian rule.)

Finally, Ari came to the last question:

_"In the space provided, please write a brief, persuasive essay detailing the reasons why I, Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV, should choose you to be my companion for eternity."_

Ari's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. An essay? He did horribly on the essays at school—with information he already knew. How was he going to write a "brief, persuasive essay" oh why King Stan should choose him? Ari didn't even want to be chosen after all, or at least, that's what he thought before lunch. Now Ari wasn't so sure.

Scrunching his lips together, Ari began to write brokenly. He wasn't even truly sure anything he wrote made any sense, but he tried anyway. Unable to think of any reasons beyond "I'm shy and I have red hair," he added at the bottom of the page, "We both like cherries."

His mind exhausted, Ari closed his packet and put his pencil down. It was only a few moments time until a servant came by to collect them.

"Are you done?" The man asked. Ari nodded and handed him his test. The servant took it, and told him to wait a few hours before the results came in. Ari let out a few deep breaths and laid his head on the table. He would wait for Luka to finish his test, but in the meantime, he needed a well-deserved nap.

**

* * *

Ending Author's Notes: ** Ari needs some sleep, doesn't he? Next chapter: who will King Stan pick? (As if we didn't already know…) Also, what will Stan order his companion do? The next chapter will contain a nudity scene, so stay tuned!

--K.M.C.


	5. Ch5: Chosen

**Title: King and Companion**

**Author: K. M. Carthoway**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Want to, though. Like that will ever happen.**

**Opening Author's Notes:** Eh, this was hell to get out. I finally get home after I take my finals, only to realize that I _didn't_ have a job waiting for me like I expected. (If you want to hear about it, look at my deviantart journal—the link is posted on my profile.) So, I'm currently near-penniless, searching for a job, unpacking, cleaning my room, packing _again_ for my family vacation this Thursday (May 25), and… and…

No, that's about it.

In that time, I somehow managed not only to finish this chapter, but I held a garage sale, finished reading Book One of the Dark Tower series, and beat God of War on Hero mode. (Not that it really matters, but hey. Whatever.)

Oh, and since I am home, I have to share the internet connection with my little brother, and he just bought Guild Wars. Ugh. Fantastic.

So anyway, despite the setbacks, chapter five is here, and it's my longest chapter yet! (Think of it as an apology for making you wait so long.) It also has a heft **_naughty warning_** tacked on to it, for scenes at the very end. Just giving you a little heads up.

Well, enjoy the chapter!

**

* * *

Chapter 5: Chosen**

Ari awoke to Luka's incessant taping on his forehead. Pouting angrily, the redhead batted the hand way and slowly pushed himself off the table. Luka smiled smugly back at him.

"You fell asleep," he spoke, bemused. Ari rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and didn't bother to answer. Luka continued, "Well, I'm done with my test, and they said it would take awhile to grade, so…" he trailed off. Ari glanced up at him, curious. The blond was looking around in all directions, searching for something. He finished, "Let's go take a walk somewhere."

Shrugging, Ari stood up with Luka. There didn't seem to be anything better to do anyway, so why not take a walk with the other boy? It may abate the stress and emotional turmoil from this insane contest for awhile. He followed Luka out into the grassy lawn.

Other kids lazed about, enjoying the sunshine and free time away from tests and contests. Luka and Ari weaved around them, careful not to trip over any outstretched limbs. While they walked, Luka carried on the conversation single-handedly, Ari staying silent behind him. The blond boy in front turned to glance at the other.

"You don't talk much do you?' He asked, a bemused smile on his face. Ari shrugged, and shook his head. Luka, meanwhile, stood off, carefully scrutinizing Ari. Finally, he too shrugged.

"Come on," he waved, and Ari followed him again. As they went, Ari couldn't help but look at the scenery. Evil King Stan really did have a beautiful palace, even if the man himself was a bit garish. Trees lined the area, and a huge expanse of perfectly trimmed lawn filled the space between that and the castle walls. The castle itself was made of gray and white stone bricks, and it towered up several stories. The tallest tower seemed to kiss the early afternoon sun. Small gardens lined the foot of the building, adding a bit of color to the otherwise monochrome walls. In the distance, near the tree-line, Ari saw the distinct glare of sunlight on water.

Luka noticed it too. "Is that a lake?" He cried out. He grabbed Ari's wrist and pulled him at a galloping trot towards the water. It wasn't hard for Ari to keep up with the taller boy; still, both boys were slightly out of breath by the time they made it to the lake shore.

Gasping a breath of awe, Luka collapsed onto the rocky shore of the lake. Ari, albeit more gracefully, followed suit. "Wow," Luka sighed. He turned toward Ari. "That's awesome, don't you think? To own your own private lake…" Luka trailed off, staring into the water.

They both fell into silence, Luka admiring the water, and Ari staring up at the sky. The sky was clear and perfect, not on cloud to break the stretch of blue. He hated it.

Several hours passed. Luka occasionally made conversation, but they mostly sat in companionable silence. Ari dozed off in that time as well, and it seemed as if an eternity had passed before the servants began to gather the remaining teenagers together. Luka and Ari stood up stiffly, working the kinks out of their bodies after sitting on hard ground for so long.

"Since when did the sun get so low in the sky?" Luka commented to himself, shading his eyes with his hand and staring at the bright orange globe hanging closer to the top of the trees than Ari remembered.

They gathered with the others, and the servants began to usher them back to the front of the palace. While they were walking, Luka leaned closer to Ari, and whispered suggestively in his ear, "Do you think you made it?"

"Huh?" Ari asked.

"Do you think you made the cut? To the next round?" Luka clarified. He leaned away from Ari and stuck his hands in his pockets. Not waiting for Ari's answer, he continued, "I think I did rather well. The multiple choice section was really easy, and the essay wasn't that hard."

Ari scoffed. "Not hard?"

Luka grinned. "Yeah, easy." He waved, as if it were a trivial matter. "I have a _ton_ of reasons why Evil King Stan should pick me!"

The red head watched the boy praise himself. Luka was so confident, it nearly hurt. Ari smiled brightly, catching the blond's eye and nearly stopping him mid-sentence. "I'm sure you'll be chosen, then," he said.

Luka returned the smile, and clapped Ari on the shoulder. "Thanks man."

The time for conversation passed as the huge double doors swung open. The crowd fell into a deathly silence. Evil King Stan waltzed out of the entrance, right arm flung out, supporting the long black cape he had donned. This time he sashayed down to meet the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, voice booming. "The test results are in!" Polite applause flared up, and just as quickly flared down. Ari noticed that Luka suddenly looked very excited.

Stan continued. "I have selected ten of you to join me at dinner—one of which will be my chosen!"

To Ari's horror, Luka thrust his fist in the air and whooped. He was the only one. Those around the pair turned to glare at the boy, and the blond sheepishly lowered his arm. "Sorry," he muttered, but it didn't sound sincere.

At the front, Evil King Stan smiled. "Well then! When I call your name, please follow me into my home." With a flourish, he reached into his cape and pulled out a scroll. Unfurling it, he read aloud.

"Denis Aberman!"

"Seems like he's going I alphabetical order," Luka whispered beside Ari. "I won't be called for awhile, I guess." Ari glanced at his friend. The Evil King called out another name, but it wasn't either of them.

"Why's that?" Ari asked softly.

"My last name's Vlascezich."

Stan called out another name. Somewhere in the audience, somebody started to cry. Ari and Luka waited nervously, Luka jittery with excitement and Ari sweating with fear. Stan called two more names; then, the world ended.

"Ari Nameless."

Luckily, Luka was there to catch Ari when he fell into a dead faint.

.oOo.

Luka woke Ari before too many people noticed the boy had passed out. King Stan had finished calling all the names on his list—including Luka's. He rolled up his scroll and put in back inside of his cloak. "Alright, if you lucky ten would please follow me into my palace, we'll go to dinner." He turned a sharp eye on the crowd. "The rest of you, scram!" The Demon King walked back through the doors and disappeared.

Grabbing the other's arm, Luka began to excitedly drag Ari to the front of the crowd. It was surprisingly easy to fight through the oncoming traffic of people leaving; everyone made way for the pair as if they were gods—or as if they were cursed. Ari was beginning to believe he was the latter.

At the foot of the steps leading up the monstrously large—larger than Ari had imagined doors could be—front entrance, the ten chosen gathered. Ari remembered suddenly what Kyle had told him so seemingly long ago: _"I guarantee he picks a boy as his chosen." _Indeed, all ten teenagers up on the steps were male.

A raven haired boy next to Ari was the first to step forward and climb the few stairs to the palace. Ari, guided by Luka, shakily followed him and the others. Just a few more steps and they would pass through the massive door frame, and officially enter Evil King Stanley's palace.

Passing through the door jam was a lot less heart-wrenching than the red head feared it would be. Standing just barely inside, the sheer massiveness o the place assaulted Ari. He craned his neck to see everything. A large chandelier hung from a chain two stories long to light the foyer with the soft, golden glow that only candles in glass could. The floor was black and gold marble; and two, red carpeted staircases curved sweepingly around to meet an exposed second floor hallway that wrapped around both of the side walls. A third floor balcony overlooked the entire foyer.

Stan stood in the center of the room, a hand on his hip and a retinue of servants behind him. "Well, stop gawking and come in!" The group quickly followed his command. Ari felt very out of place in the dazzlingly wealth surrounding him. King Stan continued.

"My servants will show you to a bathing room, where you can freshen up before dinner." With that, King Stan walked away, exiting to one of the side doors next to the right-most stair case. The servants moved toward the group, and lead them through a series of doors and hallways. The fast pace left little time for Ari to study his surroundings, but everything he saw was gorgeous, dripping in opulence and—for the most part—taste fit for a king.

After a boggling set of turns, they arrived at a polished wood door, which the servants swung open upon arrival. Inside, gleaming white marble blinded their senses and the smell of soaps filled their nostrils. The boys took the servants offer to use the baths and rushed inside. Ari showered with the hottest water his skin could stand, relaxing his sore muscles from the morning. The bathroom quickly filled with steam, and when Ari stepped out of the showers, he saw Luka and another boy drawing pictures and writing their names on the foggy mirror. Walking towards them, Ari barely stopped in time to avoid being hit by a naked brunet being chased by a long haired boy with a wet towel.

The chaos came to an end when the servants returned to collect their charges. Clean and relatively happy, the group followed the Evil King Stan's servants down more hallways until finally they arrived at a behemoth set of wooden double doors.

Luka nudged Ari in the side, "Dinner with King Stan! This is so awesome!" He tittered with excitement. Ari rolled his eyes at the boy.

The double doors swung open, revealing the splendor of Evil King Stan's dining room. Like the high table of the old kingdoms, a small dining table with five places, one an ornate throne similar to the one King Stan started the day sitting on, sat atop a heavily elevated dais, with a longer table, stretching the length of the room with its twenty plus place settings, sitting below it. Candelabras glowed merrily on top of the wooden table top, and another highly ornate chandelier illuminated the room.

Stan entered through a side door and immediately approached the group. "Ah! There you are!" He greeted. "Take a seat; dinner will begin shortly." He turned and walked to the center throne at the high table. Clapping his hands twice, he sat down expectantly. Waiters dressed in white jackets spilled from the door Stan exited from, bearing trays upon trays of delicious smelling food. Luka was the first to find a seat and sit down, and the rest of the boys followed suit. Ari sat across from Luka, and the brunet who nearly ran into him in the bathroom sat next to him.

The table began to fill up, but soon the food flowing from the kitchen began to wane, and then finally cease. The waiters in the white jackets stood at attention along the far wall, looking very serious and ready to attend to any of the diners' every need. The boys looked frantically at each other, unsure of how to proceed. Just how did one dine with a king? They looked up to Evil King Stan for a hint of guidance.

King Stan, meanwhile, unfurled his napkin and spread it across his lap, then inspected his silverware for any spots or blemishes. Noticing finally that his guests were staring at him, he gestured at the food. "Well, dig in." He began to do just that, grabbing a bread roll and ripping it apart before stuffing it in his mouth.

Looking around, Ari saw the other boys had immediately taken Stan up on the offer, grabbing dishes of food and scraping gobs of the stuff on their plates. Ari followed suit, grabbing the dish of sliced brisket that passed by him. Soon, delicious food heaped in mounds atop his plate.

"So," Evil King Stan said, "How about we go around the table and introduce ourselves? I'm Evil King Stanly Hihat Trinidad XIV. I'm evil and a Shadow Demon, and my favorite color is purple." He gestured to the boy next to Luka, "You?"

They went around the table, stating their names and describing their hobbies. The boy named Dennis was by far the most interesting, being the son of a famous traveling adventurer; Luka was very animated in his speech, describing his home life with his mother and baby brother. The rest of the boys had very little to say, including Ari.

"Uh… I'm Ari Nameless," the red-head said nervously. Luka stared at him incredulously. Ari continued, voice shaky. "Um, I'm from Tenel… I guess." He bowed his head down, overcome with impenetrable shyness. The awkward silence following Ari's soft voice stretched endlessly until the boy next to saved him by introducing himself. While the other was talking, Ari—feeling eyes on him—peeked up at the High Table, only to see King Stan smiling back at him. Ari's heart skipped a few beats, and he felt himself begin to flush. He quickly ducked his head back down.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly after that. Ari spoke very little as expected, and no one seemed to mind. Several more times Ari caught the Demon King smiling at him, making the boy relax and feel good despite himself. Ari wondered what he was doing there, in that time. He seemed so unlike the other boys.

The dinner lasted for well over an hour. Dessert came and went, and now King Stan and his guests sipped on hot chocolate and coffee. Conversation continued.

"I remember," Stan mused, "my third year reigning after the takeover—your parents weren't even alive then, of course," he added with a laugh. "I was traveling through some sketchy territory—no one seemed to know who it belonged to—and I had made up my mind that I would seize it. While traveling, my party was accosted my some bandits, and this ugly, awful bloke calling himself the Bandit King by some stroke of luck managed to take me prisoner!" Stan smiled wistfully, "Gosh, those were the days, huh?"

Ari waited, enraptured with the king. "How did you escape?" He asked, when no answer was forthcoming.

"Murdered him in his sleep, of course," Stan answered. "How dare that bow-legged penny-pilferer lay his grimy hands on moi!" The King snarled at the thought, then grinned amicably and invited his guests to continue the conversation onto different topics. Although Ari didn't speak again, several times his caught Stan looking at him. The boy couldn't quite decipher the meaning behind the Shadow King's eyes, but he was beginning to have a truly horrible feeling about this whole ordeal.

Finally, the dinner came to an end. Evil King Stan stood up from his throne at the front, and stated, "I think it's about time I announced who I've chosen as my new companion." Ari's heart pounded in his chest as King Stan outstretched a hand toward him in request. "Ari, come up here."

Several boys gasped, and then the room became deeply quiet. Ari's heart stopped completely and fell dead into his stomach. Everything seemed to slow down, and for once, all thought in Ari's mind came to a whirling halt. He stood up stiffly, and robotically began the long walk to the high table. He felt as if this was all happening to someone else as he climbed the steps up to the dais and stood in front of the king.

King Stan reached out and grasped the shaking boy's shoulders. "You'll be my companion." He smiled that mysterious smile at Ari.

Reason stopped for the red head. He heard Luka's groan of defeat, but the meaning of the sound didn't quite register in Ari's mind. All he knew was the beating of his panicked heart, the thick nausea of fear in his stomach and the cold sweat beading on his pale forehead. His knees felt weak but he remained rigidly stiff as a board.

Evil King Stan turned to his other guests. "I want to thank you all for being wonderful guests, and for giving your all in my contest. I'm sure you all must be exhausted, so my servants will escort you back to your carriages." He slung an arm over Ari's shoulder. "I wish you the best of luck!"

They watched—or rather, Stan watched and Ari lolled in his stupor—as the boys filtered out of the dining hall. Luka paused to wave at Ari, and Ari managed a weak grin in return. When they were all gone, Stan patted Ari on his back and gave a hearty yawn. "Well, I'm pooped. Let's go to bed, shall we?"

The hit knocked some of the shock out of Ari, and the boy whirled around. "Huh? Wait! Why did you pick me?"

Stan blinked owlishly at Ari's sudden recovery. Slowly, as if talking to a small child, the king explained, "You're cute, and easy to talk to. Plus, you're not going to throw yourself at me like some of my other suitors." He led Ari off the dais and to the main doors of the room, "Also, judging by your test scores, you seemed to be most compatible with what I was looking for."

King Stan pushed open the doors and walked out into the hallway. Ari jogged to catch up. "The test? But it was so… so random!"

Stan shot a grin over his shoulder at the boy. "I know. I designed it that way. Gives me an idea of how you'd perform your duties." He looked like he was about to say more when a huge beast of a yawn erupted from his fanged mouth. "I'll tell you more about it in the morning. Right now, I'm too knackered to do much else but sleep."

Stan had led him back to the front entrance, and the pair of them began to ascend one of the curving staircases up to the second floor. "I'll soak in the bath for a bit, then we'll head off for bed." He stated.

Unsure of what to say—or even if he should say something—Ari finally settled on replying, "Yes, sir."

Stan perked, and turned on the spot, one hand on the banister. "Ah, that reminds me." He looked at Ari with a stern eye and a smug smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "You will address me as Master from now on. And," he added, "you will do everything that I ask. Do you understand?"

Ari felt no better than a slave under those terms, but he saw no way of escape from it. He nodded, "Yes, Master."

"Good boy. Now, come on," Stan led Ari down the short walk to the side door, which opened into another hallway. Along the way, Stan pointed out some doors and explained some of the paintings and decorations along the way. It was all very interesting, but now that the initial shock had worn off and Ari was coming to terms with being Evil King Stan's companion, he realized just how very tired he was. He, too, yawned just as frequently as Stan did.

Just as his eyes felt nearly too heavy to keep open, a hefty maid in a stark white apron greeted them at the foot of a plain, small staircase. "Ah, good evenin' Master. Your bath is ready." She peered around Stan's shoulder and smiled sweetly at Ari. "Hello there, dear."

"Thank you, Helga," Stan replied. He placed a hand on Ari's shoulder. "Come on."

As Ari passed the maid Helga, she whispered devilishly to him. "Make sure you scrub him hard, love. The Master likes it rough."

Ari turned as red as his hair as he left her laughing form at the foot of the stairs. Though he was exhausted, he apparently wasn't so tired that naughty mental images didn't snap to mind like a demented slide show.

He stumbled behind Stan until they reached a finely carved door that revealed a bathroom just as gleaming and gorgeous as the guest bath Ari used several hours ago. Stan stepped in and immediately began removing clothing. He threw his cape at Ari before the mortified boy had time to react. His suit jacket and under shirt soon joined the growing pile in the boy's arms. The king kicked off his boots, whipped off his belt and wrapped it over Ari's shoulder. As he reached to undo his breeches, he eyed Ari curiously.

"You're all red. Are you okay?"

Ari stammered a moment before he found his tongue. "Y-you're going to bathe in front of me?"

Stan laughed. "No," Ari wisely didn't believe the man for a second. The king dropped his pants and shorts all in one go, and clarified, "_You're_ going to bathe _me_."

Ari quickly shut his eyes tight against the image of the naked man before him, but what he happened to glimpse already burned itself into his brain. King Stan was, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. His skin was smooth and tan all over, his shoulders broad, his chest chiseled like a statue and his abdomen perfectly taut. And below—

Ari didn't _want_ to think about that anymore than he had to.

While his eyes were closed, he heard the sound of splashing water, signaling that the king was safely under the bathwater. He chanced opening one eye, and confirmed the assumption. With Stan's lower extremities out of sight, Ari placed all of the king's heavy garments on a nearby counter and walked tentatively toward the tub. King Stan's voice stopped him.

"Are you done being embarrassed?"

Ari gulped. "No," he moaned, eliciting a laugh from the bathing king.

"Come here anyway," he demanded, and Ari obeyed. King Stan reached over and grabbed a few bottles of soapy stuff from the tub's opposite ledge, and handed them to Ari—who was trying very hard not to look down into the water. Stan explained the bottles purposes. "The black on is shampoo, the white one is conditioner. The pink is body wash. I trust you know how to use them?" He smiled. Ari nodded weakly.

"Good. Well, go ahead."

Deciding that shampoo would be the safest route, Ari carefully squirted some of the stuff into his palm and began lathering up Stan's spiky, blond hair. He felt the king relax underneath his touch as Ari massaged the shampoo into his scalp. He directed Stan to rinse the soap out, and then repeated the process with the conditioner. Finally, he turned to the body wash.

"Um, how do you use liquid body soap?" Ari questioned, looking at the bottle. He had only used the bar soap before.

Stan hummed and handed Ari a fluffy, scrubby bath sponge. "Use this," he directed. Ari nodded, although Stan couldn't see it, and applied some of the soap to the sponge. He wondered idly if King Stan always bathed this way—completely and utterly pampered.

Ari bet he did.

Heeding the maid's less than innocence advice, Ari rubbed the king's skin harshly. Soon the king was groaning in blissful pleasure, sagging beneath Ari's ministrations.

Thankfully, King Stan didn't expect Ari to go much father than his waist. Dismissing the boy, he grabbed the sponge and finished up himself. When he started to get up out of the tub, Ari whirled around and busied himself with retrieving a towel for his new master. Grabbing one, he realized he had to turn around to hand it to Stan. Head low and eyes permanently fixated on his feet, he returned to Stan and thrust out the towel. Stan chuckled as he took it.

"We're _really_ going to need to work on that," he laughed humorously, and dried himself off quickly before wrapping the fluffy linen around his waist. He led Ari through another door and into his bedroom. In front of them was a very large and comfy looking canopied bed with its drapes tied back against the posts. Beneath the footboard was Ari's luggage.

"Go ahead and get into your pajamas," Stan told the boy while he headed to his own chest for clothes. Ari nearly ran to the bags that were so familiar to him in his place of novelty and confusion. He pulled out his nightclothes and stopped for a moment.

"Um," he hesitated. "Where do I sleep?" There was only one bed in the room, and Ari wouldn't put it pass Stan to make him sleep on the floor, or with him.

Stan nodded toward the gargantuan piece of furniture in question. "The bed, of course." He pulled out a pair of pants from his chest. Ari sighed, and started to carry his own clothes and nightly items to the bathroom.

Stan stopped him. "Where are you going?" he questioned, pulling up the pair of purple-gray sleep pants. Ari looked wide-eyed at his Master.

"To change in the bathroom," he answered. Stan scoffed, but gave him permission all the same, and Ari shut the bathroom door. He changed quickly, and examined his reflection in the mirror. To himself, he looked sloppy, awkward and completely unappealing. Why would King Stan choose someone as hopeless as him? Ari recognized where these thoughts were leading him, and before he could agonize any further, he turned toward the door that led back to Stan. He knew that if he stayed any longer, the king could wonder what he was doing and check on him. Ari guessed that whatever consequence of Stan being forced to check on him had to be unpleasant. Quickly, he brushed his teeth and fled from the bathroom.

He found the room dark and Stan already asleep. Ari resigned himself to sleeping next to the man, and carefully got into bed with him. Just as Ari was on the edge of sleep, Stan rolled over and hugged the smaller boy tight against his chest. Ari's eyes flew wide open when he realized exactly what he was feeling pressed up against the back of his leg.

"Schnookie bear," Stan mumbled in his ear.

Ari braced himself for a long, long night.

**

* * *

Ending Author's Notes**: Woo! Go Ari! You're Stan's new schnookie bear!

Ah, an explanation: I decided on Ari's last name to be nameless, after a long and ponderous conversation with myself on the name of Ari's house. In the game, Ari's family lives in the "Nameless Dwelling." Now, it could (and probably is) the 'dwelling' that is nameless, but I thought to myself, "What if the family's surname _was _Nameless? It would make sense!" Sorta like how people answer their phones: "The Jones Residence, Martha speaking." (Not that I know a Martha Jones—this is just an example.) Anyway, viola! Ari has a last name.

Oh, and one more thing. I have drawn my own fanart of Luka. It's posted on my deviantart site. (Wow, I'm pimping that thing out today, aren't I?) If any of you would like to draw fanart from King and Companion, you're more than welcome to do so. Just please give me a copy or a link so I can tell everyone else about it too!

That's all! I'm heading out! Please review!

**Edit:** It seems that this site won't let me put up links to other sites. (It won't even let me type out it's own name.) I'm sorry, but I really don't know what else to do but direct you all to my dA account. I would have liked to link the pictures right to my chapters, but alas, it seems that I cannot.

-K.M.C.


	6. Ch6: First Day

**Title: King and Companion**

**Author: K. M. Carthoway**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Opening Author's Notes:** Alright, just a few things to say before I get started. First: no, I'm not dead. Second: yes, I'm still writing.

Summer has officially started for me, now that I'm back home from my vacation and found a job. That leaves me a busy little girl. But I've somehow managed (after more dragging of my feet than I care to admit) to finish Ch. 6. And here it is!

So… without further ado, I present to you:

**

* * *

Chapter Six: First Day**

Luckily, Ari's exhaustion quickly pulled him into a deep, dreamless sleep. When he awoke, the room was bright with clear, yellow sunlight and filled with the sounds of chirping springtime birds. Although Ari wasn't quite sure where he was, (as this looked nothing like either his room at home or his cot by the fireplace,) he was warm and comfortable, so he didn't mind much. Someone snorted in their sleep right behind him, and Ari remembered in one great flash of charity where he was.

He was in Evil King Stan's bed. He was the King's sole chosen companion. Evil King Stan was snoring right behind him!

Startled, Ari slipped out of bed and onto the cold, hardwood floor. Stan grunted, missing the weight of the boy, and groggily cracked open an eye. "Where are you going?" He grumbled, the sound distorted from the giant, fluffy feather pillow smashed up against his face.

Ari quickly thought of an excuse, "Bathroom." Stan acknowledged this, and gave the boy leave to go. The man fell back asleep while Ari made way to his destination. Through daily routine and memorized movements, Ari relived himself while his mind attempted to process this new situation. He was King Stan's companion, and veritably his slave as well. He was expected to do everything that the king asked of him, need permission to do anything else, and forced to call the king "Master."

He apparently was also expected to sleep in the king's own bed.

The boy washed his hands and returned to the main chamber. King Stan was still asleep, and now Ari wasn't sure of what he was supposed to do. Looking around himself, he found a clock sitting on a small cabinet in the corner of the room. Disliking the early numbers, he finally decided on returning to bed for a few more hours rest. He carefully crawled back into bed, and fell asleep beside his king.

He awoke the second time to the smell of hot coffee and breakfast foods. Stan was missing from behind him, and Ari found the man sitting at a small table near the room's great windows. He had a coffee cup in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. Ari slipped out of bed and made his way towards him.

"Ah! You're up," Stan commented, putting down his drink. "Do you eat breakfast?" Ari nodded sleepily, and sat beside the king. Stan returned to his paperwork while the boy sat down.

Stan, not looking up from his papers, mentioned off-handedly. "I took the liberty of going through your things."

Ari glanced incredulously at the man. He grabbed a slice of bread from the basket and began slathering jam over it while Stan continued. "I absolutely _forbid_ you from wearing any of your clothes." Ari choked. "How you ever survived in my kingdom, I have no idea!" Stan muttered, more to himself than to Ari, but his volume increased with each word. "Really! Blue and tan? Tan, boy, _tan_! You've could've gotten away with beige, or a dark brown on a good day, but tan? What were you thinking? I was nearly _blinded _by the mere sight of it!"

Ari was shocked and mortified at first, but as King Stan continued in his ranting over the boy's lack of fashion, he couldn't help but find it amusing. He tried hard not to smile around his bread, but the humor clearly showed on his face.

"And if your horrid color combinations weren't enough, I found a pair of corduroy pants in your things! Corduroy, Ari! It was _corduroy_! What foul being possessed you and made you even _think_ of wearing that? Completely hideous! Awful! I'll have it burned right away." Stan finally looked turned to look at Ari, who was stifling his giggling behind his hand at this point. "Are you _laughing_? Is this amusing to you?" Ari nodded, unmindful of the consequences in his mirth. Stan exploded, "This is a serious offense, boy! You can't very well go prancing around, donning whatever horrible fabrics your rotten mind can conceive! You're my companion now! People will look up to you in fear and awe! You have to dress appropriately, in colors and fabrics that match your figure, not in god awful _tan_ and _corduroy_." The king took a deep breath, and calmed himself. He turned to Ari again, and smiled as sweetly as an Evil King could. "Therefore, the first thing we'll do today is get you outfitted by my tailor."

Breakfast finished smoothly after that. Stan still mumbled occasionally around his coffee about random topics—the corduroy came up once or twice. All in all, Ari decided it wasn't that unpleasant of a way to spend a morning. In fact, it was rather nice…

Stan drained his coffee, and stood up, papers still in hand. "Well, stand up boy. We need to get you wearing something more suitable." Ari obeyed and followed Stan out the bedroom door. He was a little embarrassed at first, as he was wandering around in the hallways in his pajamas, but Ari supposed that he didn't have much of a choice. Stan led him down a few more hallways and corridors, down a flight of stairs, and down even more hallways and corridors. Though he had no idea where they were, Ari assumed that they must have traveled to the other side of the palace.

They stopped in front of a normal looking, wood stained door. Stan knocked politely before barging in. "Samantha, dear?" He called out, placing his hands on his hips. Ari hovered behind him, examining the room as best he could from just inside the doorway. It was a cluttered junk heap, with books and boxes and clippings of cloth and paper all over, covering every available surface and especially the floor. There was only enough room to walk a few paces in from the door before the clutter impeded any movement. Ari wondered if anyone could actually live in such a mess.

A voice called out from somewhere in the room, but Ari couldn't pinpoint the direction. It had a strange trill to it, and made Ari's back erupt in shivers and gooseflesh. What he saw next nearly killed him of fright. A woman, transparent and ghostly, phased into existence behind them and floated to where the pair stood. Stan stood relaxed, completely nonchalant to the spirit hovering around them, but Ari squeaked and clung to the older man's coat.

"Samantha," Stan addressed the ghost, while prying the shaking redhead off of him, "This is my new companion. He needs an entirely new wardrobe." The ghost twittered in glee, and Stan considered for a moment more. "Call Raoul, as well. Something needs to be done with his hair. I want him looking nice by lunch." King Stan turned and left the room, leaving Ari alone with the ghost.

The ghost spoke, "Don't look so frightened, dear!" She grabbed a sewing tape from the top of a cluttered cabinet and floated circles around the terrified boy. "I've been Master Stan's tailor for many, many years now!" She giggled warmly. "Centuries, I suppose, but I don't keep track of the time like I used to." She bade Ari to lift his arms—to which he obeyed reluctantly—and began the long process of taking his measurements or nearly every area measurable on his body. A constant stream of words flowed from her translucent mouth as she worked with the boy, and soon Ari felt at ease. Although dead, Samantha was a lively, kind-hearted woman.

"There," she announced a long time later, "I think that about does it." She tossed the tape back onto the cluttered cabinet and floated to face the boy. "Let me just get some swatches to see which color is good for you complexion and—oh!" She stopped, her hand flying to her mouth. "I nearly forgot about Raoul! Wait here darling while I fetch the swatches," she called out, already floating towards the back wall of the room. It took only a few minutes before she returned, a hat box filled with variously color strips of fabric in her arms.

"Come one, dear, follow me. It's just a ways down the hall." She floated to the main door and opened it. Ari followed wordlessly to a room just a few feet away from the tailor's. The ghost merrily announced their presence, and a heavily accented voice answered. The door opened, displaying to Ari the strangest man in Evil King Stan's castle he'd seen yet.

"Oh! Dis must be zee new companion!" The man—Raoul, Ari supposed—greeted with enthusiasm. He looked remarkably like the King himself, tall and a bit lanky, with a dark complexion. The only thing different was the slicked back raven hair, the spindly horns curving out of his forehead, and the thick, foreign accent.

Raoul examined Ari just as much as the boy examined him, but with more dramatic results. "Oh! Zat hair! It will never do!" The strange man pulled Ari deeper into the room, and plunked him down in a cushioned chair in front of a vanity cluttered with an assortment of hair care products and tools. Samantha floated along behind them.

Brandishing a pair of scissors, Raoul tsk-ed at Ari, "Zo many split endz! Vat are you using to wash your hair, soap for zee handz?" The question, apparently, was rhetorical, as Raoul continued to rant about the boy's unkempt hair without pause. The similarities between him King Stan continued to grow. As he snipped away what he saw fit, Samantha floated in front of Ari with her hat box of colors.

She held a swatch up to his face. "Such a pale complexion!" She murmured, sifting through her box. "And your hair is so vibrantly red, warm colors just won't do at all!" She began flinging red, orange and yellow colored swatches onto the vanity. Landing on a silky, emerald green piece, she held it out to Ari's skin. "Oh," she crooned, "This is lovely! Matches your eyes perfectly!"

"Yes," Raoul commented, "but if you dress him in green, he vill clash wit all zee furniture."

Samantha nodded gravely. "Yes, you're right." She set the piece aside. "Stan does have a penchant for purple, doesn't he?" She added, fingering the scrap fondly, "Still, maybe for special occasions…"

Raoul scoffed. "Vatever. Your funeral."

Samantha and Raoul looked at each other, then burst out laughing, scissors and color swatches forgotten. But like true professionals, they kept their moment to a minimum.

Raoul started in again on Ari's hair, and commented, "What about a, how you say, bruiz colour?"

Samantha, seeming to understand Raoul's meaning in spite of Ari's own confusion, dove into her hat box again. Retrieving a dark plum colored piece, she held it up to Ari's skin for examination. "Oh, now that would look lovely…"

Raoul, as far as Ari could tell, finished cutting Ari's hair, and was now simply playing with it, scrunching some ends with hair gel and slicking back others. Ari noted that it didn't look that much different than before; it was maybe a little shorter in the back. Samantha continued to choose colors for his clothes, holding a piece up to his face, then tossing it either into the accept or reject piles that grew rapidly on Raoul's vanity.

Ari could tell it was getting closer to lunch, as his stomach began to rumble and protest. Samantha seemed to be finishing up her task of color choosing, and Raoul, after disappearing for a few moments, approached Ari with what appeared to be a long, silky black scarf. "Ev'ry day," Raoul started, "in ze morning when you wake up, you need to use zis." He picked up a bottle of hair gel, and displayed it before Ari's eyes. "Put zis in your handz and scrunch your hair like zo," he demonstrated with dry hands in Ari's gelled hair. "Ev'ry day!" He repeated.

Holding the scarf aloft, he drilled the second set of chores to Ari, "Tie zis around your hair. Make you look cute, no?" He wound the cloth around Ari's hair like a headband, knotting the ends at the base of his skull. One of the ends, Ari noticed, had foreign white glyphs printed right into the fabric.

"What does this mean?" Ari questioned, fingering the material.

"Ah," Raoul explained, "It iz in demon tongue, no? Iz meaning…" he paused, searching for the right words, "Property of Evil King."

Ari sighed, crestfallen. Marked as an object already, he thought bitterly. Squelching such thoughts from his mind, he stood up from his cushioned seat and greeted Samantha as she drifted to him with a package in her arms.

"Here you go darling, try these on," she said, handing Ari the bag. "Luckily for you, the Master's last companion was about your same size. I hope the shoes fit, though…" she mumbled.

He gratefully took both the package and the room Raoul offered for privacy. Changing, he heard behind the closed door the arrival of yet another servant, there to escort Ari to his luncheon with King Stan. Although it must have been nearing noon already, the boy couldn't help but feel as if his day was just starting. He wondered what the remaining hours spent with his king would bring.

.oOo.

She had dressed him in black.

A tight black tank top covered his torso, riding up over his slim waist, and black breeches hung low over his bony hips. The shoes were black as well, but that was to be expected as any other color would have clashed. With so much dark clothing on, he felt paler than ever; the three-finger width of skin that he couldn't quite get his new outfit to cover on his stomach glowed with an unnatural whiteness.

The whole ensemble made Ari feel quite grim—or stupid. Unfortunately for the self-conscious boy, it was too late now, as he had already followed the servant down to a little, lattice covered patio to await lunch. King Stan already sat at the glass and wrought iron table, a goblet of wine in front of him and yet more papers in his hands. Since the king was absorbed in his paperwork, Ari took a moment to study the man. Any fears he harbored about his Master thinking his outfit was foolish were soon allayed as Ari eyed what the older man had donned for the day.

King Stan wore an outfit as black as his: a pitch black, twin-tailed coat over equally black pants. A thick white collar stretched wide over his shoulders, and long down his front—and he wore nothing underneath. The triangle of skin Stan displayed on his chest and collar was so large, that Ari guessed any false move on the man's part would flash a nipple.

King Stan finally looked up from his paperwork. "Ari," he addressed the boy, "take a seat, lunch will be out soon." Ari did as he was bidden. Sitting down, he noticed a familiar object mixed in with the important looking documents Stan shuffled through.

Pausing only to phrase his inquiry, Ari spoke. "Master?" Stan looked over in his direction. "Why do you have my music box?"

Stan spared the wooden box a wry glance, answering, "I found it when I went through your stuff this morning." Ari shot the king an indignant look, but the man didn't notice it. "I liked the melody."

Ari stared at his mother's music box. He was confused as to why King Stan would even bother to bring it out, and he also felt a little angry that Stan had laid claim to it when Ari hadn't even the chance to listen to it yet. Coming to a decision, he reached over and flipped the lid. Out poured a sweet, if not sad, melody.

Stan put down his papers, and watched Ari. They sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the music. Ari, at one point, shifted his gaze from the music box to his Master. Locked in each other's gazes, something heavy passed between them. Ari pulled away blushing.

"My mother gave me that music box," he said, staring at the folded hands in his lap. "She told me to…" he faltered.

"To what?" Stan questioned softly.

"She told me to give it to the person I really love," Ari finished. "I guess it's sorta the 'Nameless Family Engagement Ring.'"

"The what?" Stan asked, obviously confused.

Ari sighed, the mood completely shattered at his Master's ignorance. "Nameless. My family name? Ari _Nameless_?" He explained, highly annoyed.

Stan uttered a laugh. "Ah yes. Family name. Of course." Sensing, too, that whatever passed between them a moment ago was ruined, he picked up his papers again, and returned to work. Ari closed the music box, the melody stopping with a 'click.' With nothing else to do, he waited for lunch to arrive.

Lunch came soon after the music box closed. Ari helped Stan shuffle his papers into a messy pile to make room for the trays. The food looked delicious, and once served, the servants all skittered back into the castle except for one man. He respectfully handed the King a message before he, too, retreated into the building. King Stan unfolded the note and read it while Ari began building a sandwich from the trays of foodstuffs they just received.

"Damnit!" Stan muttered harshly. Ari looked up from his food. The man offered no explanation for his sudden outburst, so Ari decided to pry.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Stan looked at Ari for a moment, before handing the boy the note. The news certainly was grim, as Ari read the simple message detailing a hero riot in Madril. Ari mulled over the new information, puzzled. Something didn't seem quite right about it. "What are you going to do about it?" He asked.

Stan sighed, and shrugged. "Send more soldiers down, I guess."

Ari nodded, accepting the answer for the moment. He took a bit out of the sandwich he had just built, then realized something. He played with the thought out loud.

"Why would the heroes riot? Heroes don't riot—they fight for justice and peace."

"The hell if I know," Stan grumbled, grabbing a hunk of meat from the food tray and gnawing on it. Ari returned to his food, the puzzling question whirling over and over in his mind. Why _are_ the heroes rioting in Madril? Riots are, by nature, quite pointless, and heroes only fight for a good reason. Why then are—

Eyes flying comically wide, Ari gasped. "They aren't rioting! They're revolting!"

Stan paused. "Come again?"

"It's not a riot!" Ari exclaimed. He shouted in a great rush, "It's a rebellion! The heroes are angry that you outlawed them, and Madril houses the heroes' guild—the epicenter for heroes and—"

Stan leaned over and slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Slow down!" He demanded. Ari nodded, but the king didn't remove his hand. "The heroes are angry, you say?" He asked. Ari nodded.

"Because I outlawed them."

Ari nodded again.

"So, they're rebelling against me… in Madril?"

Ari nodded fervently this time, eyes still wide and locked with Stan's narrow golden ones. Stan carefully drew away his hand from Ari's mouth, and sat back in his seat.

He took a deep, calming breath, before exploding. "Those snot-nosed, yellow bastards! Just wait until I get my hands on them! Those cross-eyed, cake-eating ass heads won't know what hit them!"

Ari nearly leapt across the table in attempt to quieting his master. Bracing his arms on the raging man's shoulders, he cried out. "Sta—I mean, Master! Master Stan! Please get a hold of yourself!" Stan miraculously stopped his temper tantrum, and Ari went back to his seat. The man eyed the boy angrily, and suddenly Ari felt like he was the one who had been scolded.

If there was a line between them, Ari knew he just crossed it. Softly, not lifting his downcast gaze, he said, "Let's just eat lunch, okay?"

They ate in an awkward silence. Ari didn't lift his head from his intense concentration on his lap, too afraid was he that Stan was glowering at him. It came as a surprise to the boy when the man hesitantly broke the silence. "So… uh," Stan started. "Do you think it's going to rain today?" Ari looked up, eyes filled with disbelief. Stan stared back, his usual grin—if not a little sheepish—on his face. Ari shook himself out of the stupor Stan's smile placed him in, and gazed up through the vine-covered lattice roof above them. The sky was clear, with nary a cloud in sight.

"No," Ari answered, befuddled.

"Ah, excellent!" Stan approved. "After lunch, let's take a walk." He smiled disarmingly.

Ari agreed, and they both turned to their food. Stan also returned to his paperwork, shuffling through the seemingly endless pile and mumbling occasionally as he read them. Every so often, he would ask Ari of his opinion on a given topic, to which the boy tried the best he could to answer. He didn't know anything about half the locales the man referred too, never mind the politics.

He had finished his meager lunch a long while before Stan was done eating. The boy picked at some of the finger foods until the king tossed down his papers in a huff and flung an arm over his eyes.

"I can't read anymore!" He exclaimed dramatically. He stood with a sigh. "Come on, let's take that walk." Ari stood up as well, but hung back as Stan dived back into his papers. Confused at the apparent contradiction, the red-headed boy did nothing while Stan rifled through the stack of reports.

The man muttered to himself, "I know they're here. They bring them out with every meal!" Finally, lifting the entire stack, Stan grasped what he was looking for, and placed the papers down again. Offering the boy whatever he held in his palm, he asked, "Want one?"

Discovering that it was a small, plastic-wrapped peppermint, Ari choose a candy. "Thank you," he smiled politely.

Stan unwrapped two pieces and placed both in his mouth. He slid a hand to the boy's back and gently pushed him forward. "There are some benches around the back that have a great view of the pond," he said, white hints of candy peaking out from in between his lips.

Ari sucked on his mint thoughtfully. King Stan called that lake a pond? Yet, it was just like the man to say something like that. While they walked, the boy listened to the King carry the conversation single-handedly.

"I suppose that you're still wondering what it is a companion does," he started. Ari didn't even have to nod to spur the man on. "You'll be doing anything I need you to do—filing and sorting papers, helping me in my political decisions, attending to diplomats and ambassadors, going to expensive parties…" Stan trailed off, waving a hand in the air as if everything was trivial. "You'll be getting tutored, so don't worry about getting in over your head just yet."

Stan wrapped a long arm around Ari's shoulders, pulling him close. "Think you can handle that?" He grinned.

Ari shrugged his shoulders lightly under the weight of the king's arm. He said around his mint, "I suppose so."

"You suppose so?" Stan laughed. "What? No enthusiasm? No jumping for joy?" The man quickly whirled around to Stan inches away from Ari's face. "Or are you moping?' He smirked merrily at the boy, slitted yellow eyes filled with laughter. Ari couldn't help but smile in return—Stan's good humor was infectious.

Stan straightened, and thrust his fists onto his hips. "There now!" He exclaimed. "You're smiling already!"

They continued on their way again, and for the rest of the walk Stan joked with Ari. The boy quickly learned about the king's quirky, silly side, and fell readily into the man's good nature.

Stopping at the benches Stan mentioned, the man ended the conversation with a joke at the expense of some poor diplomat. Ari laughed merrily, eyes squished closed in mirth. He didn't notice until after he had calmed down that Stan was eyeing him with some unfathomable emotion in his eyes.

Ari looked expectantly at the man. "What?" He asked.

Stan smiled softly to himself, "Nothing." He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but had decided against it. Ari, unable to hold the strongly heated gaze Stan pinned him with, looked away toward the water. The bright early afternoon sunlight sparked on the surface of the pond. He watched the water and the light collide and coalesce in contemplation with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, Stan's hand was in his hair and his lips dangerously close to his own. Ari could smell the sharp scent of the mint candies on Stan's breath, and was awarded only time for a quick intake of breath before the man pressed his mouth against him. The boy's eyes stayed open in shock, but found it unnerving to watch as the king's own eyes slide closed in pleasure. Ari's eyes shut as well.

Stan's mouth opened against his, and everything was hot and wet. Ari's limbs felt heavy and useless at his sides as his entire pinnacle of existence funneled to the point where their lips met. He found it increasingly hard to keep any coherent thought at all. With the last shred of his functioning mind, the boy reached up and placed his hands on Stan's chest, bracing himself against the onslaught of sensation.

The Evil King shuffled closer, angling his head for better purchase against the boy's lips. Ari leaned in, pressing his mouth closer to Stan's—worries and fears about where this could be leading far away.

Just as it started, it ended quickly. Stan pulled away with a gasp of his own, leaving Ari to pant breathless, held up only by the other man's hand on his head and on his waist. The boy's eyes were still closed so he missed the look of pure, unadulterated desire Stan gave him.

Ari opened his eyes after a few moments to find Stan's gaze had cooled to an amused smirk. "Breathless?" He commented dryly, and Ari had the sense to blush. Stan chuckled throatily to himself, and dove in for a quick chaste kiss on the lips.

Ari watched Stan this time, as the man pulled back and straightened his clothing with broad sweeps of his hands. "Well, I believe we've hung around enough outside today," he declared. He pulled Ari close in a one-armed hug, before leading the still shell-shocked boy towards the castle. "Come on, let's put you to work."

The boy would have sighed, but he was grinning too much.

**

* * *

Ending Author's Notes:** Wonderful! Ari and Stan's first kiss! Ah, and I just want to announce: It's official! Chapter Seven _will_ contain a sex scene! So stay tuned!

--K. M. C.


	7. Author's Note

Important Author's Note for King and Companion

I'm sure that many of you have noticed the obscene lack of updates to King and Companion lately. I'm so very, very sorry about that. I know I promised that I'd try to update on a regular basis, and I haven't.

I just want to say right now, that King and Companion **_is not ending._** It's not over, and I'm not stopping it. It is, however, on hiatus. I have another fiction project that I'm working on, and I want to finish that first (it's relatively short) before I go back and work on King 'n' Comp. When I do go back and work on it, I will completely rewrite the story, and hopefully (_hopefully_) post a few newly re-done chapters at a time until it's finished.

So please bear with me for a few months while I get those projects done. Oh, and if any of you are interested in Xiaolin Showdown of the Chase/Jack variety, then please visit my livejournal; there's a link on my profile.

-KMC


	8. Another Update!

Hello faithful readers! I know it's been a _loooong_ while, but I'm here with another update.

No… no chapter yet. Please don't kill me.

But there is something you can do about it! I'm having a vote on my livejournal, about which fanfic I story I should work on first, King and Companion or Partners in Crime (a Xiaolin Showdown Chack-centered post-series fic.) I can't do both, for reasons explained in the post.

My livejournal is tori (underscore) alexander (dot) livejournal (dot) com. (Sorry, ffnet is really retarded when it comes to links, so please type it up in your address bar.) It's the second entry, the "Dilemma! Okage Shadowdown!" post. Hopefully you can still vote even if you don't have a livejournal—I've attempted to enable the anonymous posting. (If not, review me here to tell me about it. I still get all of your reviews. Or you can send me an email: kittycarthoway (at) hotmail (dot) com)

Anyway, please visit and vote! Your opinion really does mean a lot to me, (just, I have no time. My job sucks. But I'm working on that.)

Thank you!

**Edit: **Because ffnet is... retarded, I had to fix my user name for livejournal. It's tori (underscore) alexander. Yeah. Sorry about the trouble. Everything else should be working now.

--Tori Alexander/ KM Carthoway


End file.
